Switch.



J. F. CAVANAGH.

SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED DEC- 1. 1916.

Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

JOHN F. CAVANAGI-I, or MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR 'ro'rnn CONNEGTiCUfI.

TELEPHONE & ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF OF CONNECTICUT.

MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION f SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented A g; 28 ,1917

, Application filed Decemberl, 1916. Serial No. 1341321.

To all whom it may concern: K

Be it known that I, JOHN F. CAVANAGH,

a citizen of the United States of America,

' residing at Meriden, Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Switch, of which the following is a specification.

' My present invention relates to control 1 switches and particular objects of the invention are to provide a simple and practical switch for controlling the circuits of an automobile, such as the signal and, light ng circuits, which, while inconspicuous, may be conveniently and readily operated and which 'tures of the invention will appear as the in addition will be relatively inexpensive and easy to install.

Another special object of the invention is to provide a control switch in suchiform that it may readilybe mounted on the steering column of the machine.- Briefly, the invention comprises a base, carrying the requisite contacts and a push button rotatably mounted on the base and having also a vertical movement thereon for controlling the ,various circuits, said 'push button having a dependent rim portion inclosing the contacts on thebas'e and carrying suitable contact portions for engagement with the contacts on the base.

The details of construction and other fea-.

specification proceeds. I

In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated the invention embodied in a practical preferred form but I would have. it understood that changes and modifications may be -made without .departure from the true scope and spirit oftheinvention.

In said drawing:

Figure 1, is a perspective view illustrating the application of the invention to thesteering column of an automobile.

Fig. 2, is a vertical sectional view taken through the central portion of the switch.

Fig. 3, is ahorizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 2 and showing diagrammatically the various circuit connections for this particular switch.

- Fig. 1, is an. inside'view or bottom plan view of the cap or push button element.

Fig. .5 is abottom plan view of the base memberof the switch. 'v

Fig. 6 is atop view of-the base member of the switch.

Referring now. to the drawing more in detail: V

p 7 designates the base or body of the switch and 8 the rotatable push button or controlling element. 'This nushbutton is in the form of a cap having a dependent rim 9 overhanging and covering an upstanding annular part or wall 10 on the base. This upstanding walllO serves as an abutment to limit the downward thrust of the push button, the upper inclined surface 11 of said wall forming a' stop to be engaged by the correspondingly, inclined shoulder 12 on the inside of the rim ofthe-cap.

The push button is.rotata'bly confined to the base, in the present disclosure, by a central pivot studl3 dependent fromthe head of the cap and working in abore 14 in the base, a stop washer 15 being secured to the lower end of said stud by a screw 16.

In the particular embodiment herein illustrated, four contacts are provided on the base, the first, 17 constituting a dimmingcontact, the second 18 being a full-power lighting Contact, the third 19 being a horn or signal contact and the last 20, being va Contact for the current source. The two lighting contacts '17, 18 and the current supply Contact 20 are shown as alike in construction and consisting of fiat springs bent over and secured at their lower or base ends 21 by screws 22 to the under side of'the base and extending upward through passages 23 in the base and thence outwardly. into position above the abutment wall 11 (Fig. 2), these' upper outwardly bent portions forming the actual contacts and being transversely bowed or arched as more clearly indicated in Figs. 3 and 6.

The signal Contact 19, likethe other contacts has a fiat base 24' secured by a screw 25 to the under side of the supporting base.

and a shank portion26projectingup through a passage 27 in the base and carrying at its upper end, an angularly. turned head disposed beneath the top' of the capv and forming the Contact proper.

Within the cap is mounted a contact seg-.

ment 28 having dependent contact portions 29, 30, and 31for engagement with the con tacts 17 18 and 20 respectively on the base.

The Contact portion 31 which engages the current.'supplying Contact 20 is of a length .sufiicient to engage said contact in all posiportion 29 will engage the dimming contact 17 and on the next rotary movement the contact portion 30 will engage the lighting contact 18. l

The push button is held in the different positions to which it may be rotated by the engagementof the arched contact portions ofy'the spring contacts incorrespondingly shaped notches 32 on the inner wall of the dependent rim 9 and the contact portions 29, 30 and 31 of the segment 28 are also shown as similarly notched as indicated at 33 to provide a firmcontact between the parts and to assist in holding the push button in position; The extreme rotary. movements of the push button may be controlled by the provision of a stop lug 34 inside the dependent rim working in a segmental cutout 35in the upstanding wall 10 of the base. The push button is yieldingly supported with the contact segment thereon normally abdve the plane of and out of contact with the signal contact 19, as indicated in F i 2, by means of a spiral spring 36, surroun ing the'pivot stud 13 and seated in a concentric chamber 37 in the supporting base around the pivot stud. The upper end of the pivot stud is enlarged so as to have a sliding .fit in the spring chamber 37 and this enlargement also provides a head or shoulder against which the upper end of the spring acts.

The current connections may be made as indicated in Fig. 3, the battery or other current source 38 being shown connected with the current supplying contact 20 by a con- V .ductor 39, the signal contact 19 being connected by a conductor 40 to the horn or other signaling device 41, the lighting contact 18 being connected with the lamps 42 by a conductor 43, the dimming contact 17 being connected by a conductor 44' with a resistance or other dimming means 45, and the current being returned to the battery by the ground indicated at 46.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that in the position indicated in Fig. 3 with the push button at the end of its right hand movement that there will be no current carried to the lamps because both contacts 29 and 30 are out of the planes of contacts 17 and 18. In this position however the'horn or other signaling device may be sounded by merely pressing thecap until the segment on the underside thereof engagesthe' horn contact 19. When dim lights are desired the push button is simply turned one position to the left which brings the dependent contact finger 29 of the segment into engagement with the dimming contact 17, the

current flow being now from the battery through the segment and through finger 29 and contact 17 through the dimmer to the lamps. When full power of the lamps is desired the push button is given another turn to the left. This causes contact finger 29 to move away from the dimmingc'ontact and brings contact 30 into engagement with the full-power contact 18 whereupon..,the

full current is thrown to the lamps. From this construction it will be noted that the vertical push button movements of the cap do not affect the lighting circults because during such movements the contact fingers simply slide over the contact portions of the spring contacts. I i

This has the advantage of maintaining clean contact surfaces. described also is practically weatherproof and dust and oil proof and it can be made very compact in size and quite ornamental in appearance.

The arrangement" It will be apparent also that the screws 22 and 25 which secure the contacts to the supporting base may also be utilized as binding screws.

The inclined shoulder 12 assists in the assembling of the device by forcing the spring contacts 17 18 and20 inwardly far enough to slide into engagement with the inner wall of the cap and the contact fingers provided therefor, it being apparent that without some such means for contracting the springs inwardly it would be a difiicult matter to engage the push button down over the springs.

What I claim is:

, 1. In a switch of the character described, I

and contacts on the base and cap brought into engagement by the depression of the 2 In a switch of the character described, a base having an upstanding substantially circular wall provided with an arcuate recess therein, a push button rotatably supported and vertically movable upon the base, said push button having a dependent rim inclosing the upstanding circular wall ofthe base and provided with an internal shoulder for engagement with the upper edge of said wall to limit the downward movement of the push button on the base, a stop lugon the inside of the dependent rim working in the arcuate recess aforesaid and two sets of cooperating contacts on the the combination of a supporting base, a

push button and base brought into engage- .ment in the rotary and push-button move- 'ments respectively of said button.

3. In a switch of the character described,

. a base, upstanding contacts on said base, .a

rotatably supported and vertically movable push button on the base having a dependent rim surrounding the upstanding contacts and a .contact on the under side of the push button having dependent contact portionsdisposed in position to-engage the upstanding contacts on the base in the rotary and vertical movements of the push button on the base. -4. In aswitch of the character described,

push button rotatably mounted on the base, a contact segment on the-inside of and carried ,by said push button having dependent contact fingers and upstanding spring contacts on the base pressing outwardly into I engagement with the contact fingers aforesaid andpush-button contacts brought into' vengagement; by the push-button movements of said button on the base.

5. In a control switch of the character described, a supporting base, a pushbutton rotatably mounted on the base and provided with a'dependent rim, a contact segment on the under side of said push button having dependent contact fingers seated in the dependent rim aforesaid, said dependent rim ontact fingers having recesses formed,

and

therein and spring contacts on the base pressing outwardly into said recesses and,

push-button contacts brought into engagement by the push-button movements of said button on the basel.

6. In a switch of the character described, a supportihgbase, spring contacts having flatbase portions engaging the under side of the supporting base and upstanding shank portions terminating in outwardly projecting transversely arched contacts,

binding, screws securing the bases of said spring contacts to the supporting base, a

push button rotatably mounted on the base and having a dependent rim covering the contacts aforesaid and contact means on said dependent rim for engagement with the contacts aforesaid and. push-button contacts brought into engagement by the push-button movements of said button on the base.

.7. In a switch of the character described, a supporting base, a push button rotatably engaged on said base and having a vertical movement thereon, dependent contact portions carried by said push button, upstanding contacts on the base having sliding engagement with the dependent portions in the vertical movement of the push button on the base, a contact on the base, a contact for H engagement therewith on the push button in the push-button movements of said pushbutton and a springnormally yieldingly supportingthe push button on the'base with said latter contacts out of engagement.

:8. Ina switch of the character described, a supporting base, outwardly pressed spring contacts on the base, a push button rotatably engaged on the base and having a dependent rim for engagement over the spring contacts, contacts onthe inside of said rim and an inclined shoulder on said dependent rim for contracting the spring contacts inwardly into position to engage the contacts:

on the dependent rim.

9. In a switch of the character described, a supporting base provided with a central bore and a concentric chamber surrounding said bore, contacts on the base, a push button provided with a stem having a reduced lower end slidinglyi and rotatably engaged in the central bore and an enlarged upper end slidingly and rotatably engaged in the concentric chamber aforesaid, a spring seated in said chamber'around the reduced lower end of the stem and. bearing against the enlarged upper end of'the pivot stemand two sets of contact elements'on the push button and base for engagement in the rotary and push-button movements respectively-of the I button.

10. A switch of the character described comprising a base, a rotatably supported and vertically movable push button on the base, a contact on the button, a contact on the base for engagement by said button contact in all the variously rotated positions of the.

button, spring means foryieldingly supporting the button with said contacts dlsengaged, a contact on the base, a contact connected with the button and adapted to [be carried thereby in the rotation of the button into engagement with the last-mentioned contact on the base and means for ma ntam ing engagement of said last set of contacts irrespective of the push button movements of the button.

11. A switch of the "character described comprising a base, a push button, a stem rotatably and reciprocably confining said button to the base, a button sustaining spring a 12. A switch of the character described comprising a base, a rotatably supported and vertically movable push button on the base, a contact on the button, a contact on'the base for engagement by said button contact in all the variously rotated positions of the button, spring means for yieldingly supporting the button with said contacts disengaged, an upstanding contact on the base, and a dependent contact on the button slidably engaging over the upstandin contact when carried by'the rotation of t e button into the plane of engagement with such contact.

. 13. In aswitch of they character described the button in an upraised position, a contact carried by the button at the underside thereof, acontact on the base beneath said button contact and adapted to beengaged thereby upon depression'of the button, a second contact beneath the buttonconnected with the button and shifted therebyiin the rotary movements thereof, and a serles of contacts on the base beneath the button and disposed about the bore in position to be engagedb t-hesecond contact on the button and sai last named set of; contacts adapted to re- "main in engagement irrespective of the push button movements of the button.

JOHN F. OAVANAGH. 

